1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric vehicle that may be equipped with in-wheel motor drive system(s) and that may be battery-powered or fuel cell-powered. In particular, the present invention relates to fail-safe control that is responsive to abnormalities in a motor.
2. Description of Related Art
In an electric vehicle, control of motor(s) is typically implemented with a microcomputer. A control system that can be used may include an ECU which is a primary electronic control unit configured to perform general control of the vehicle and may also include an inverter unit. Such an inverter unit may include a power circuitry including an inverter configured to convert a DC power from a battery unit into an AC power used to drive a motor unit, and may also include a motor control circuitry configured to control the power circuitry in accordance with a torque command from the ECU. Moreover, an electric vehicle may be equipped with in-wheel motor drive system(s) formed by a wheel bearing unit, a motor unit and a reducer unit.    [Patent Document 1] JP Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2008-172935